Point You to the Mirror.

Drama on Channel 4 has been quite ground-breaking during the 21^st century, bringing such edgy (no, not Hollyoaks) shows as This Is England, Skins and Red Riding to the British public consciousness.  However, Charlie Brooker’s recent writing effort Black Mirror has really caught my imagination, but not necessarily in a positive way.

Charlie Brooker: Genius or psycho?

Although the show does highlight some very important concerns that technology could create in the future, it portrays us as users: sensationalist, solitary and nasty.

For example, in the first episode, we bared witness to a Twitter storm surrounding the capture of a beloved Princess and public pressure was heaped on to the Prime Minister to get intimate with a pig (no, really!).Individuals, became enthralled with the amount of misery one man could suffer, simply because they formed part of a faceless mob. You can probably imagine the confusion that spread through my student house when somebody, outside of the Black Mirror loop, was informed our Prime Minister had done such a thing.

The second one then satirised the talent show format in a George Orwell 1984 sort of way, with the main character Bing, selling his romantic interest in to a life of exploitation through reality show Hot Shot. Over time, former characters were being homogenised, and sucked in to the machine, possibly a little too far but rings true with Britain’s Got Talent and X Factor.

This portrayal is in sharp contrast to the beliefs I hold dear. Technology and the modern age are primed for pure good, if used in the right way.

Take this blog for example. I wished to create a voice for myself, on a medium which is accessible to friends, new friends and strangers; whoever. This website took only twenty minutes in a day to originally set up but since, I have had some of my articles read by 23 people in Russia and 81 from the United States, none of whom I am ever likely to meet. Although I am writing about things which could potentially be distinctive of the UK, it is important to know that there are those out there who do listen to what young people are concerned about.

Times have changed significantly in the social media, even since the year 2000. In this year, the most popular daily newspaper, The Sun, had a circulation of around 3.6 million per day. According to stats published in October 2011, this number has reduced to 2.7 million. Though some of this change may be attributed to the controversy surrounding the News of the World and News International back in the summer, it clearly shows that news travels in lots of different ways today.

Twitter and Facebook can act as a central grapevine from which all young; middle aged; old people can keep up to date with current affairs. With the use of targeting and connectivity on such websites, news organisations have helped to stimulate healthy debate in opposition to the generalisations and meaningless statements that can often clog up news feeds, “Stu is eating an apple” or “the awkward moment when Robert Palmer is taken to rehab for his severe addiction to love”.    

I think it is inspiring that writers, irrespective of their platform, can have such an impact in such a short period of time. I want to invite anyone out there to use the internet as a tool, because it is so valuable!

Love Chips x

Scenes of a Charitable Nature

Only three months ago, sporadic violence broke out in towns and cities across the United Kingdom. Frighteningly, the majority of rioters – 51.8% to be precise - were below the age of 20. Although the original riots were caused by the death of Mark Duggan, there were several who tried to justify their actions for alternative reasons, from poor treatment by the police through to high levels of unemployment and government cuts. This may have painted a portrait of Britain in severe depression from the economic crisis but there are two sides to every story; and this is no different.

The British are a pro-active people and no sooner had the riots finished than hundreds of Facebook users and ‘Twitterers’ were on the streets of London and Liverpool, cleaning up the carnage that was left behind. The selfless actions of these 500 or so people, shows on a micro-scale just how much we as a country care about our communities, even in times of individual economic hardship. The last two weekends have given further evidence of this remarkable attitude, with Remembrance Sunday and Children In Need on Friday.

Americans are repeatedly cited for both their patriotism, and unwavering support of their military. I believe, in both respects, that the British people are extremely similar, but the cynical tabloid press can frame the debate to suggest that our society is on a largely negative plane. But this does not explain how or why the whole country, quite rightly, comes together to remember for one day to remember those who have given so much to protect us and our loved ones.

These emotions are evoked in us all on 11^th November, from sportsmen on the field right through to accountants in Croydon. Armistice Day is simply part of the heartbeat of Britain, and instils within us, an enduring reminder that we should have pride in our brave armed forces. I think it is comforting that whatever the future may hold, liberal or conservative, growth or recession, Edward or Jacob, red or black, deal or no deal (I promise I will stop now), charities continue to inspire us all, whatever walk of life.  

Children in Need and Comic Relief are unique projects. The figureheads put in a great deal of organisation at the top table to make sure that all sorts of grass roots projects can inject their passion and ingenuity, coalescing with charities overseas and here at home.  According to BBC Statistics, since the recession hit in 2008, fundraising totals for Children in Need have increased by two million pound in the average year. This is even more remarkable, given that a third of all fundraising comes from the nation’s purses and wallets.

This shows that even when we have felt the pinch in our everyday lives, and even when the charity single has destroyed a classic (if you haven’t heard it, don’t), the British public have continued to generously give, to those whose need is ultimately greater than our own, across the globe.

Overall, I wanted this post to serve as a notice that all in Britain is not as bad as it may seem in the Fleet Street newspapers.  We should take pride that even in times of trouble; our society is an extremely humbling and heartwarming place, if you should dig deep enough.

Love Chips x